Folding chair



Dec 5, 1939. 1 r. JCJHNSON FOLDING CHAIR Fil ed April 16, 1938 PatentedDec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES FOLDING CHAIR Thomas T. Johnson, Houston,Tex., assignor to Myers-Spalti Manufacturing Company, Houston, Tex acorporation Application April 16, 1938, Serial No. 202,372

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a folding chair.

An object of the invention is to provide a chair of the characterdescribed, which, when not in use, may be collapsed, so as to occupysmall space for convenience in shipping or storage; or which may beextended to provide a strong, comfortable and well balanced chaircapable of safely withstanding the load to which it may be subjected.

It is another object of the invention to provide 10 a chair which may becollapsed into small space or extended for use and which is composed offew movable parts so that it will be very firm and sturdy, g

It is a further object of the invention to provide a chair of thecharacter described which includes a fixed back portion and anassociated pivotally mounted seat structure, so related that the seatmay be folded into parallel relation with the fixed back and the legsmay be collapsed into parallel relation when it is desired to collapseor fold the structure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a chair of thecharacter described which may be cheaply produced and will still be verystrong and durable.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation andarrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this 30specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure ,1 shows a side elevation of the chair, shown in extendedposition.

Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view taken on 35 the line 2-2 of Figure3, showing the chair in collapsed position.

Figure 3 shows a rear elevation of the chair, shown in folded position,and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View, taken on the line 44of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals ofreference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeralsI, I designate the side bars of these sup- 45 porting structure whoselower ends form also the front legs of the chair and whose upper endsprovide the back rails.

The rear leg structure comprises the legs 2, 2 which are locatedadjacent, and on the inner 50 sides of, the respective side bars I, andwhich are pivotally connected to said side bars by means of the crossrod 3 which extends through the rear legs 2 and whose ends are journaledin the side bars I. The lower ends of the rear legs 2 are 5 connected bythe cross rod 4.

embodying the series .of adjacent slats H whose front and rear ends maybe mortised into the front and rear cross bars 8 and 9.

At each end the cross bar 9 has the upstanding bracket I2 and saidbrackets I2 have a pivotal connection with the respective side rails. I,by

means of the pivot pins I3, I3, said pivot pins being located above theplane of the cross slats II so that when the seat is swung upwardly into001- lapsed position it will assume a parallel relation with and belocated in front of, the back as shown Y in Figure 2.

The side bars II] have the overhanging portions Illa, as shown inFigures 1 and 4 extending from the front cross bar 8 to the rear crossbar 9 and beneath said overhanging portion, each side bar If] has alongitudinal groove I4 extending from the front to the rear cross barand whose lower side is formed by the metal plate I5 which may befastened in any suitable manner to the corresponding side bar I 0. Theupper ends of the legs 2 are reduced in width providing the extensions2a as more accurately shown in Figure 1. The free end of each extensionEd has the beveled face 2b to ride against the underside of theoverhanging portion Illa, as the parts are moved to extended orcollapsed position and also has the beveled end face 20 arranged to abutthe opposing end of the front cross bar 8, underneath the correspondingoverhanging portion Illa, as shown in Figure 1 to form a support for theseat when the chair is in extended position.

Each leg extension 2a .has an inwardly ex-, tended pin I6 below the rearend of the face 21) and whose inner ends project into the grooves I4said pins forming runners or guides and which are effective to swing thelegs 2 into parallel relation with the side bars I, when the seat isswung upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 tofolded position and which swing the legs into supporting position, asshown in Figure I, when the seat is swung into extended or horizontalposition.

The drawing and description disclose what is now considered to be apreferred form of the invention by way of illustration only while thebroad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A folding chair comprising a pair of straight side bars whose lowerends form front legs and whose upper ends provide back rails, a rear legstructure comprising side legs which are located adjacent and on theinner sides of said side bars, means for pivotally connecting said sidelegs to said side bars, a back secured between said back rails, a seatportion comprising front and rear transverse bars and side barsconnecting said front and rear bars and a supporting structure supportedby said front and rear bars, brackets on and. upstanding from said reartransverse bar and pivotally connected to the corresponding side railsabove the plane of said supporting structure, the side bars of the seatportion having longitudinal overhanging portions forming tracks whoseforward ends terminate at the front cross bar, the side bars of saidseat portion having external longitudinal grooves beneath saidoverhanging portions extending from the rear cross bar forwardly, metalplates fastened underneath the side bars of the seat portion forming thelower sides of said grooves, the upper ends of said rear legs beingreduced in width providing extensions whose free ends have beveled facesto ride against said "tracks and whose forward ends are shaped to abutthe corresponding ends of said front bar when the chair is in extendedposition and inwardly extended pins on said extensions forming runnersor guides which run in said grooves and which are effective to swing therear legs into parallel relation with the side bars when the seat isswung upwardly into parallel relation with the back.

2. A folding chair comprising a pair of side bars whose lower ends formfront legs and whose upper ends provide back rails, a rear leg structurecomprising side legs which are located adjacent and on the inner sidesof said side bars, means for pivotally connecting said side legs to saidside bars, a back secured between said back rails, a seat portioncomprising front and rear transverse bars and side bars connecting saidfront and rear bars and a supporting structure supported by said frontand rear bars, brackets on said rear transverse bar and pivotallyconnected to the corresponding side rails, the side bars of the seatportion having longitudinal overhanging portions forming tracks whoseforward ends terminate at the front cross bar, the side bars of saidseat portion having external longitudinal grooves beneath saidoverhanging portions extending from the rear cross bar forwardly, metalplates fastened underneath the side bars of the seat portion forming thelower sides of said grooves, the upper ends of said rear legs beingreduced in width providing extensions whose free ends have beveled facesto abut against said tracks and against the corresponding ends of saidfront .bar when the chair is in extended position and inwardly extendedpins on said extensions forming runners or guides which run in saidgrooves and which are effective to swing the rear legs into parallelrelation with the side bars When the seat is swung upwardly intoparallel relation with the back.

THOMAS T. JOHNSON.

